Today, the Ministry of Energy and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint center for research on carbon capture, storage and use technologies, with the aim of providing scientific support for the Kingdom's commitments regarding carbon emissions.
The memorandum, signed by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy, and President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Dr. Anas bin Faris Al-Faris, aims to maximize local content in this field, and provide a research environment to address carbon emissions and turn them into products of economic value. Developing national research and development capabilities in cooperation with advanced global centers through technology transfer and marketing, and enhancing global leadership in the field of carbon capture, storage and use technologies.
Under the memorandum, the two parties will work to develop a general framework to encourage research and development in the field of carbon capture, storage and use research techniques, unify efforts at the local level among research bodies, involve the private sector, cooperate with advanced global centers in these technologies, and focus on the Kingdom’s priorities, which contributes to diversifying the sources of energy. its economy.
The memorandum includes enhancing the exchange of information and statistical data to implement research and joint projects, exchanging scientific and research experiences, providing technical advice between the two parties, research and development in the fields of research of carbon capture techniques to limit and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, as well as sequestration of carbon dioxide from fixed sources of emissions. Carbon emissions such as power plants and cement factories, in addition to reducing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions using oxygen combustion technology, and developing photovoltaic systems for converting carbon dioxide to fuel using solar energy.
Among the objectives of the memorandum are the development of techniques for injecting carbon dioxide with polymeric materials and fly ash in oil reservoirs, the development of chemical catalysts to convert the captured carbon dioxide gas into high-performance polycarbonate materials, in addition to conducting field studies of suitable geological layers for storing carbon, and developing systems and techniques Monitoring surface changes using radar interference technology to monitor and control the movement of carbon dioxide gas after it is injected and stored in the geological layers of the Earth.
